


dan(ielle)isnotonfire

by dannihowell (iguessicantry)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: F/F, Gender or Sex Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 15:16:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7623727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iguessicantry/pseuds/dannihowell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Description: This story follows the timeline of phan as we know it, but with one huge difference.</p>
            </blockquote>





	dan(ielle)isnotonfire

She’s nervous as fuck and she hasn’t even uploaded anything yet. She takes a deepbreath and prays that no one in her family comes home early.

“Hi,” she shyly. “My name is Dan. This is my first proper video…”

She really should have made some notes for her talking points because she’s already blanking five seconds into her debut. “Umm… So I will be making videos about whatever and I’ll try to keep it interesting… um…”

—-

“Was it awful?” Dan asks her friend.

Phil smiles and shakes her head. “It was perfect! Don’t worry about it.”

“But–,”

“I’m the expert here.”

—-

“No. No way. Dan, no.”

“But Mum, I’m eighteen!”

“You are a young girl and you will not just hop on a train to God knows where to meet someone you met on the internet.”

“To Manchester, not God knows where. And, it’s just Phil, Mum! You’ve seen her videos. She’s harmless.”

Mrs. Howell scoffs. “I’ve heard those stories all over the news you know. A girl goes to meet a stranger and she ends up dead, or worse!”

Dan vaguely thinks about what could be worse than death but doesn’t bother asking. “We’ve been friends for months. She’s given me all her information. I’ll be safe, I promise!”

“No, Danielle. She can come here to visit you. She is older, right?”

Dan sighed and nodded. “Fine.”

Mrs. Howell smiled knowing she had won this argument.

—-

Phil is taller in person but just as bubbly. Dan can barely speak now that she can finally touch her and hug her.

Phil is the first to speak. “Why don’t we get some coffee?”

For the entire time they spend at Starbucks, Dan cannot stop blushing and tripping over her words, barely being able to comprehend the fact that Phil was right there in front of her, drinking coffee like they’ve planned for months. Later on, they head back to Dan’s house.

Dan’s parents aren’t home that weekend, having decided to visit her aunt in Dover. Her sister is out with her friends so the house is empty bar the two of them. Their favorite band is blasting on Dan’s stereo. Phil won’t stop making her laugh and before she knows it, Dan is tickling her in retaliation.

But then, Phil grabs her wrists and everything freezes for a moment.

Phil smiles and leans up slowly, giving her friend time to back out. Dan doesn’t. Their lips meet. Phil flips them over, and kisses her deeper. Phil releases Dan and pauses. “Is this okay?”

“Better than I imagined.”

Phil giggles and places her hand on Dan’s cheek softly. “You’re so gorgeous. I can’t believe I’m here.”

Dan can see the sincerity in Phil’s eyes, as it resonated within the way her chest moved against her own it in Phil’s eyes, feel it by the way her chest moved against her own.

—-

Their first video is a hit. _Philisnotonfire_ gains Dan an amazing amount of subscribers and she has Phil to thank for that. They’re still _just_ colleagues though. Despite the fact that Dan got in to Manchester and stays over Phil’s flat as often as possible, they’re still _just_ friends. Even though, her heart races every time someone even mentions the name Phil, they’re still _just_ friends.

Two years later, in spite of the fact that they’ve had sex more times than they can possibly count, they’re _just_ really good friends.

—-

“I can’t do it!” she shouts suddenly, ripping her revision worksheet in half.

Phil pauses the game she’s playing. “Can’t do what?”

“Can’t do this stupid school thing anymore.” Her eyes get shiny. “I hate it.”

Phil holds her and tells her that everything is going to work out. Taking a break doesn’t mean she’s stupid, neither does dropping out. “You’ll still be well clever.”

She drops out. Dan isn’t going to be a lawyer… or a teacher, doctor or nurse. She’s not really sure what she’s going to be but three panic attacks in one week signifies the need for change. YouTube is doing well enough that she can still pay half the rent without begging her parents for help.

—-

Their viewers have stopped separating their identities. It’s never just Phil or just Dan anymore. AmazingPhil and danisnotonfire are constantly pushed together for opportunities and for shipping apparently. It’s Dan and Phil, Dan and Phil, Dan and Phil…

The two of them find it funny at first because no one really knows the truth and the fans aren’t super crazy about it… yet. On Valentine’s Day Phil uploads a video as a joke. She pretty much declares her love for her best friend in what some had called the cutest thing to ever grace the known universe. She’s forced to take it down when Dan screams at her.

“Are you insane?!”

“It was just a joke. I thought you’d find it funny!”

“How dare you?!”

“What, Dan? What is really the problem?” Phil asks, just as loudly. “So what if they knew! Our audience isn’t homophobic or anything.”

“They can’t know, okay?”

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“No,” Dan shakes her head. “You won’t understand.”

“Make me understand.”

“You are not allowed to **_out_** me without my permission.” Dan’s breathing heavy, tears streaming down her face. She wipes them away violently. “You need to think next time. My family doesn’t know!”

Phil freezes and suddenly her eyes are brimming with water too. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

—-

Phil has stopped climbing into her bed at night. Dan doesn’t invite Phil into her live shows as often anymore. They are still friends. Things have just changed a little.

It isn’t until another YouTuber named Kasey, an old friend of Phil’s, makes a few comments on twitter that they really talk about it. Kasey apparently has proof of their relationship. Phil says it’s impossible. Dan thinks she’s a jealous bitch who wants Phil back.

“What should I tell her then?” Phil asks, getting frustrated.

“To leave you the fuck alone. You don’t want her.”

“You don’t know that.”

Dan sits up properly and stares at her friend for a few seconds. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I want to be in a relationship, you know. I want to hold someone’s hand and go out on proper dates. Kasey’s cute.”

“She’s a bitch!” Dan sneers.

“Stop saying that.”

“You can’t go out with her.”

“Why not?”

“‘Cause… Because….” Dan stutters. “We are… And I…Just no!”

Phil stands up and just walks away. A few seconds later, she yells, “Are you coming or not?”

Dan blinks and smiles before rushing off to Phil’s room.

Their viewers say they look happier than ever before.

—

Dan posts a picture on twitter. She’s wearing a black crop top that shows off a little bit of her tummy. Her denim shorts reach down to mid-thigh. It’s hot in Orlando so the outfit is more than appropriate. Phil tells her how cute she looks and her confidence skyrockets… until later that afternoon when she finally has a chance to check her phone.

_‘She dresses so slutty.’_

_‘She thinks she’s so fucking cute. Not!’_

_‘I don’t want to be mean or anything but has she put on weight.’_

_‘Guys stop. Don’t call her fat.”_

_‘I met her today and I swear she was so fake. Phil was so sweet though.’_

_‘She was rocking that top. idc what you guys say.’_

_‘Dan’s a bad role model. I mean her fans are mostly teenagers and this is how she dresses to meet them? What am I supposed to think?’_

Dan spends the rest of the evening in her hotel room. Phil can’t figure out what’s wrong.

Being a female YouTuber requires an element of maturity, more than a sprinkle of class and very thick skin. The comments range from creepy messages about how hot Dan is or hateful messages about Phil using Dan’s popularity for her own. Not a day goes by when someone leaves comment about Dan’s voice, Phil’s looks, or just how much they act like lesbians.

“What does that even mean?” Dan laughs. Phil shrugs.

“We act like best friends. Have people never seen girls do these things and it doesn’t mean anything?”

Phil says, “They have but–”

“But what?”

“When we do it, it means something. They can see it clear as day.”

“Don’t stick up for them.”

“Look at that one,” Phil says pointing to it. “Could Phil’s shirt be any more low-cut? I swear she’s just trying to catch up to Dan. They’re so desperate for male attention.”

Dan and Phil both burst into laughter. “Male attention…That’s a good one. “

—-

When Dan turns twenty-two, she tells her parents. Her mum says she’s known for years. Her sister rolls her eyes because she thinks Dan is looking for attention. Her dad shrugs.

Phil’s standing by the door when she gets home later that night.

Before Dan can say a word, Phil pulls her close. “I’m proud of you.”

“They didn’t even care,” Dan laughed wetly. “All this time wasted on worrying.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

—-

“Today, I’d like to talk about something important. A lot of you guys sent in questions and it feels like it’s time for another Internet Support Group. Our first question comes from Lissah, Illinois, USA. Dan, I always feel like I’m the one left out in my friend group. Everyone else has their own best friend but I’m all alone.”

“Well, Lissah, I know exactly how that feels. Let me tell you that one day, you will find that one person who just gets you. I went eighteen years without having a best friend. One day, it’ll happen. Don’t force it. Good luck.

“The next question comes from Anne who is sixteen, from Germany. Hi, Dan! My boyfriend just came out to me as gay and I don’t know what to do.”

Dan takes an iconic sip of her drink. “Support him. If you love him, support him. If you only like him support him. If you hate him, do not out him. He can’t help it and it shows that he trusts you more than anyone else. Hopefully, the two of you can still be friends.

“Jair from Madrid asks ‘Are you gay. Like seriously I want to watch if you are.’”

Dan looks at the camera like she’s on the office. “Well, that’s a good place to end it.”

—-

_‘Now, their gamers. Wtf girls can’t be gamers. Even if they are lesbos’._

Dan and Phil games is doing surprisingly well despite the haters.

—-

When Dan’s twenty-three, she is put in charge of a campaign at the BBC. She calls it ‘Her Story.’ She talks about using the stories of girls and women all over the world to bring awareness to the struggles females go through on a daily basis. Girls and women have flooded her email and now she’s sitting on a stage in front of an audience.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Danielle Howell and welcome to Her Story, a BBC special. Today we’re going to talk about what it is to be a girl in today’s world. We’ll talk about everything from bullying to human trafficking to just trying walk down the street without being harassed.”

The panel goes incredibly well. Dan is able to give some advice as well as get some. She’s been bullied since age three in many different capacities. If it wasn’t her voice, it was her looks, her clothes, her laugh or something else.

At the end of it all, she thanks everyone who helped. Phil makes sure to thank Dan for working so hard to put it together. Dan almost wants to smack Phil for making her blush during a live broadcast.

—-

“Guess what boys and girls? It’s time for the internet support group. Our first question comes from Gigi, fourteen, in Ireland who says, ‘My teacher read my fanfiction during technology class. It was smut. What should I do?’”

Dan cringes violently. “Drop out and become a full time internet hobo. It all worked out for me… I guess.

“Next comes from Francis, twenty two, in Switzerland. ‘ Hi. I think I’m pregnant’”

Dan grabs her bottle of wine. “It’s been two months since I had my last period. The worst part is that my boyfriend’s been studying abroad for six months. What do I do?”

“Wow… Um, I guess you have three options. You and your body comes first. Ask yourself these questions: Am I ready for a child? Am I ready to raise a child? Am I ready for pregnancy? If you pursue an abortion, that is no one’s business but you’re own and it’s your right. If you choose to have the baby and give it up for adoption, you’ll be giving someone the baby they always wanted. If you want to keep it and raise it, that’s your choice. Think about yourself. Your boyfriend comes later. Okay?”

A caption appears on the screen. ‘Please don’t sue me. I have no clue what I’m saying.’

“Next question come from Emma, seventeen, in London. Dan, I’m really scared to come out to my parents. They’ve always been homophobic. I’m bisexual and I really want to take my girlfriend to end of the year formal but I can’t without telling them why I’m not taking a guy. Do you have any advice?”

Dan looks at the camera with a sincere look. “If it isn’t safe, do not come out. You’re young and the world is tough. Come out when you know you’ll be safe and you’ll be happy for the decision. The fact that you’re asking me, means that you are not ready. About the formal, tell your family you just want to go with friends. That’s what I did. Turns out my parents didn’t care that I was bi, but whatever. I wasn’t ready. Emma, dear, be safe. That’s it for today. Goodbye internet.”

—-

“It’s time for _Philisnotonfire 7_!” Phil exclaims excitedly.

“What’s our first challenge?” Dan laughs.

“AmazemeLeila14 says Dan, kiss your girlfriend.”

“That’s easy enough,” Dan says, leaning up and pressing her lips to Phil’s.

With a giggle, Phil asks, “Should I edit that out?”

“No. I’m ready.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr  
> [dannihowell](https://danni-howell.tumblr.com/)


End file.
